Recall Parliament to debate Libya, says Plaid

Recall Parliament to debate Libya, says Plaid

Plaid Cymru has said Parliament should be recalled as military action in Libya is in danger of going beyond the original aim of protecting civilians.

Plaid Cymru has said that Parliament should be recalled to debate the UK’s military involvement in Libya. They said that military assistance to rebel forces would require a new UN Council resolution.

The House of Commons is currently in recess until 26 April.

Plaid’s MPs initially voted in favour of military intervention in Libya, but warned of the danger of “mission creep”.

The party insists that any military action in Libya must learn from the lessons of Iraq and should stay strictly within the remit of UN Resolution 1973. This week, they repeated their call for the UK government to step up diplomacy efforts and humanitarian aid.

“The UN Resolution 1973 is crystal clear that action must only be taken to protect civilians,” said Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid’s leader in Westminster.

“If, as we gather from reports in the press, the government is serious about arming rebel forces – then this raises many more questions,” said Llwyd, “Who are the rebels and are they legitimate?”

Llwyd pointed out that arming any faction within Libya would breach the arms embargo and require a new UN resolution.

He added, “We call on the UK government in the meantime to confirm that every effort is being made to step up humanitarian aid as much as possible given the circumstances on the ground and to ensure that finally diplomatic efforts are ongoing”.

Plaid Cymru, whose name means "Party of Wales" in Welsh, is a socialist party working for an independent Wales within the European Union. They are currently in coalition with the Labour Party in the Welsh Assembly government.

[Ekk/1]

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